Kay Murray will turn off the microphone at 10 o’clock this morning for what she says will be the last time, and that’s hard to comprehend. Murray, who turns 72 next week, is retiring after hosting the morning radio talk show Morgantown AM on WAJR for 35 years.
Murray had an unlikely entry into radio. In the late ’70s, Kay decided to return to the workforce after raising her two children. She started at WAJR 37 years ago as a receptionist. When a talk show position opened up, then-general manager Dale Miller pushed Kay for the job.
Kay was stunned with the offer, but agreed to at least give it a try. The rest, as they say, is history.
Kay had no formal radio training, but she had other qualities that were far more important. She grew up in Morgantown and knew the community. She was warm with an easy laugh, but not a pushover. A firm hand, but a soft touch. She was concerned about the people she interviewed and the issues. Her joy of life and myriad interests connected with her listeners.
Through the years, Kay had several different co-hosts—Carl Becker, Bill Nevin, Jim Stallings—but Kay was the constant. She became synonymous with the show, and with radio in Morgantown. The last two weeks have been filled with well-wishes, on-air and off, from so many people.
Kay has been threatening to retire for several years. We managed to talk her out of it a time or two, but she says she’s ready now. She says she doesn’t have any specific plans, except maybe to spend more time with her beloved family, including her grandchildren. “I’ll do what I want to do for awhile,” Kay said, and that could include having morning coffee in her pajamas instead of coming to the studio.
I’m taking Kay’s retirement pretty hard.Yes, I’m happy for her as she begins the next phase of her life, but we’ve been together at West Virginia Radio a long time, the entire 37 years. She produces “Talkline” so we have spent at least two hours together every workday. She is a dear friend as well as a respected fellow broadcaster.
I hesitate to say things will never be the same here. That’s unfair to the broadcasters who will follow her and a violation of the principle that no one in this business is irreplaceable. Morgantown AM will go on with two talented co-hosts—Kyle Wiggs and Sunshine Wiles. They will bring their own unique talents to the show.
But today is about Kay. WAJR is airing a special two-hour Morgantown AM with a series of special guests to give her an appropriate send-off. That will be difficult. There’s a lot of ground to cover after 8,000 shows.
She could have stayed on, and she knows that. Even after 35 years on the air, Kay has never been stronger with her command of local issues, the ease with which she handles myriad subjects and her commitment to professionalism.
She’s at the top of her game. That’s also a good time to walk away, leaving on her own terms with a legacy of a job well done.